History
Bell's Park and Quarry by William Simpson (1823-1899) Love Loan ran along the southern edge.
© Glasgow Museums
LOVE LOST
A tucked-away lane near John Street and Martha Street, Love Loan was home to a wonderfully diverse collection of residents from its first appearance in records in the early 1800s – cane and fancy chairmakers, Singer sewing machines, glass, paper and glue merchants, shopkeepers, coal dealers and cotton manufacturers – before the University of Strathclyde took up residency at number three from the 1930s right up until the late 1960s.
Come 1966 however, the College of Science and Technology vacated Love Loan and the street disappeared from record.
LOVE FOUND
Having uncovered the story of Love Loan and its disappearance from Glasgow’s city centre, our ambition is now to bring it back into public consciousness, to rediscover and recreate the dynamic vibrancy of the original Love Loan.
A stone’s throw from George Square, Queen Street Station, the University of Strathclyde and the Merchant City, Glasgow’s newest neighbourhood will be an exciting new location to eat, drink, meet, work and relax. As was the case for the 200 years of the original Love Loan, the lane will once again be home to a diverse collection of occupiers, each with their own personality. With hotel accommodation, food and drink, office space and residential accommodation, the vibrancy of Love Loan will soon return, with community and sustainability at its heart.